Road · United Kingdom
National Cycle Route 765
A rolling 18 km road cycling route from Doune, Stirling through Dunblane, Pisgah and Bridge of Allan, with 132 m of climbing.
At a glance
- Best for
- Rolling day rides
- Distance
- 18.3 km
- Elevation gain
- 132 m
- Riding time
- 1 h 18 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Bike
- Road bike
- Surface
- Paved
- Traffic
- Mostly minor roads
- Food & water
- Regular
- Best months
- Jun to Aug
- Navigation
- GPX download
- Start → finish
- Doune
Map and elevation profile
Elevation profile
- 132 m
- 18 km
Route description
- Doune
- Dunblane
- Pisgah
- Bridge of Allan
- Causewayhead
- Cornton
- Raploch
The route begins at Doune with amenities like cafés and supermarkets available at the start. It follows a mixture of quiet streets, cycle paths, tracks, and minor roads with a mostly paved surface throughout (97%). Early on, the road climbs steadily from km 7.1 to 8.8 gaining 67 m at an average gradient of 4.1%, reaching the highest point at 130 m at 8.7 km near Pisgah.
After this climb, the route descends for almost 3.8 km from km 9.2 to km 13, dropping 113 m to a low point of 5 m at 16.9 km. The majority of the climb is in the first half of the ride with flat and descending sections dominating later. The route continues through Bridge of Allan, Causewayhead, Cornton, Raploch, and finishes in Stirling and Riverside, passing near Mote Hill and Gowan Hill towards the end. Food and bike shops are found along the way, notably near Dunblane and Stirling. The longest stretch without café, shop, or water is 7.2 km from Doune to Dunblane.
The surface is mainly paved with minimal gravel and unmapped sections, and the route includes a small section of 1.4 km on fast roads with speed limits of 80 km/h or more. Cycle paths or lanes cover 5.6 km in total. Route bailout points with railway stations are at Dunblane (7.3 km) and Stirling (18.2 km).
Highlights
- Climb between km 7.1 to 8.8 averaging 4.1% gradient
- Longest descent of 3.8 km dropping 113 m
- Passes near Mote Hill and Gowan Hill at 17-18 km
- Cycle paths and quiet streets cover 63% of the route
Along the route
Places passed
Climbs
| Climb | Starts at | On this ride | Top on this ride |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unnamed climb | 7.1 km | 1.7 km · 67 m · 4.1 % · max 6.1 % | 130 m |
Traffic, surface and gradient
Mostly minor roads and streets on the map.
- Roads
- 37% quiet street · 26% cycle path · 13% track · 13% minor road · 11% other roads and tracks
- Fast roads
- 1.4 km on roads with a limit of 80 km/h or more
- Cycle paths
- 5.6 km on cycle paths or roads with a cycle lane
- Surface
- Paved: 97% of the route is mapped as paved, 1% as unpaved and 2% has no surface data.
- Gradient
- 21% climbing · 27% descending · 52% flat
- Steep sections
- 0.7 km over 5% · steepest 500 m averages 6% at 7.8 km
- Longest descent
- 3.8 km from 9.2 km, dropping 113 m
Food, water and services
No stretch is longer than 15 km without a café, shop or water. Along the route: 106 cafés and restaurants, 20 shops, 1 petrol station, 7 public toilets and 14 bike shops.
Food, water and shops in ride order
- 0 kmButtercup Cafe · café · 100 m off route
- 0 kmCo-op Food · supermarket · 40 m off route
- 0 kmWoodside Pharmacy · pharmacy · 130 m off route
- 0.1 kmToilets · 80 m off route
- 0.4 kmRepair stand · on the route
- 7.3 kmGreens of Dunblane · supermarket · on the route
- 7.3 kmToilets · 260 m off route
- 7.4 kmAnother Tilly Tearoom · café · on the route
- 12.3 kmBike rental · 230 m off route
- 12.9 kmWee Timorous Beastie Cafe · café · on the route
- 12.9 kmrightmedicine Pharmacy · pharmacy · on the route
- 13.1 kmToilets · 70 m off route
- 17.2 kmBayne's · bakery · 70 m off route
- 17.4 kmTesco · petrol station · 40 m off route
- 17.6 kmTesco · supermarket · 40 m off route
- 18 kmVelocity 44 · bike shop · 80 m off route
- 18.1 kmToilets · 150 m off route
Need to bail out?
- 7.3 km — Dunblane (station), 320 m off route
- 18.2 km — Stirling (station), 220 m off route
Worth a stop
- 7.3 km — Old Bleaching Green, Monument (monument)
Stay after this ride
- Forth Guest House · hotel · 70 m from the finish
- Travelodge · hotel · 260 m from the finish
- Munro Guest House · hotel · 330 m from the finish
- William Wallace Hotel · hostel · 330 m from the finish
- Golden Lion · hotel · 470 m from the finish
Start and access
At the start
- Food and coffee
- Buttercup Cafe (100 m), Simply Sarah's (110 m), Red Lion Inn (170 m)
- Shops
- Co-op Food (40 m), Spar (40 m)
At the finish
- Trains and ferries
- Stirling (230 m)
- Bikes and repair
- Velocity 44 (290 m), Active Travel Hub (220 m)
- Food and coffee
- HBW Coffee (290 m), Bayne's (300 m)
- Shops
- Tesco (360 m)
Know before you go
- Longest stretch without café, shop or water is 7.2 km from start
- 1.4 km on roads with speed limits of 80 km/h or higher
- 0.7 km with gradient over 5%, including 0.1 km over 10%
- 0.7 km on main roads
